Well known for their trademark whimsical approach to storytelling and exquisite puppet design, Grey Seal Puppets offers a variety of puppet performances sure to tickle your fancy. Their repertoire includes a variety of productions from familiar fairy tales (The Emperor’s New Clothes) to original stories (Bathtub Pirates). The company’s thirty-year history includes such honors as three Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA (International puppetry organization), the President’s Award from the Puppeteers of America, and the Award for Leadership in Theatre from the NC Theatre Conference. In addition to touring productions, Grey Seal also performs regularly on television with clients such as The Reimler Agency (Bojangles), WTVI-Channel 42 (local PBS affiliate), the Muppets, and Silver Burdett Ginn. Their television work has been honored with several awards in the industrial and broadcast categories including a prestigious Beacon Award and the ITVA Silver Reel of Excellence. Grey Seal Puppets offers custom character design services. Their work includes not only puppet design, but also mascot characters, specialty costuming, and props. Grey Seal has created characters for clients such as the Cartoon Network, the New Orleans Hornets, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and the Charlotte Bobcats. Drew Allison is the founder of Grey Seal Puppets. He is involved in all phases of production including writing, building, designing and performing. Drew has performed regularly on television and stage for over 30 years. In 1994 Drew was awarded The President’s Award by The Puppeteers of America for outstanding achievement in the art of puppetry. Drew also co-authored The Foam Book: An Easy Guide to Building Polyfoam Puppets and is featured in the Foam Book DVD. For more information about Grey Seal Puppets, please visit our website at www.greysealpuppets.com. Grey Seal Puppets 231 Foster Avenue Charlotte, NC 28203 1-888-GREY SEAL
This classic tale of love and footwear is told with a spicy twist! All the familiar characters are reimagined as ingredients in a jar of salsa! Peppers, onion, garlic, and of course, tomatoes, all make up the ingredients of this spicy cast! The salsa thickens when the stubborn Prince refuses to change the way he has always danced, despite the many different styles of dance going on throughout his kingdom. His way of dancing is the only way he recognizes. Until the big Palace Fiesta, that is. It’s there that Cinderella inspires the Prince to try other types of dancing. Cinderella learns that a certain amount of tradition is always a good thing too. And then the Bell Pepper tolls midnight. . . Experience this timeless classic re-told with Latin American flavor! An original musical score by Charlotte composer John Alexander will have you fighting the urge to mambo in the aisles. A dazzling array of rod puppets and shadow puppets all join in the quest to find the foot that fits a simple sandal. This show is sure to delight the salsa fan in everyone! Pass the nachos, please!
Drew Allison
704-589-1304
drew@greysealpuppets.com
Available year-round.
We come completely self-contained with our own staging, sound and lighting.
We are a touring company and come to your location.
In the Charlotte area, $600.00 for a single performance and $1000.00 for two performances on the same day in the same location.
Through puppet theatre performances, students will be introduced to theatre skills, various puppet styles and story-telling. (R7 – Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.)
The performance encourages students to explore their own creative outlets relative to the theatre experience. By watching the performance, students will learn that puppetry is a collection of art forms on display; movement, visual art, drama, role play, pantomime, dance and more.(SL2 – Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. )
Students will identify and apply specific character traits and virtues demonstrated by the performances. They can then take this ability and apply it to stories they write themselves.(W4 – Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.)
From the Arts Education, Theatre Arts K-8 Standards:
Through the use of puppetry students will be introduced to the literary skills involved in storytelling (K-8.C.2 – Use performance to communicate ideas and feelings.)
Performances of classic fairy tales will encourage students to read and re-enact these timeless stories on their own. (K-8.AE.1 – Understand how to design technical theatre components, such as costumes, sets, props, makeup, lighting, and sound.)
Students will be able to assess character traits and morals illustrated in the performances and apply them to real life situations. (K-8.CU.2 – Understand the traditions, roles, and conventions of theatre as an art form.)
Example: From our telling of the fable “The Tortoise and The Hare,” students recognize that fastest is not always best and that slow and steady is the way to go. After the audience affirms this realization they also realize that they inherently knew this already and should apply the same lesson to their own lifestyle.